January 10, 2007

"Viewpoint: A Dose of Honesty for Florida 13"

Matt Weil of the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project has written this thoughtful commentary. Two snippets: "The Democrats know that voter confusion alone yields no remedy. Republicans are unwilling to concede that the undervote was anything but a protest vote because they would be tacitly admitting that voters intended to install Jennings in the seat, not Buchanan."

"The House should not overturn the election. It would set a bad precedent to overturn elections for poor ballot design, which in many states -- including Florida --is open to party review before the election. Is it unfair to Ms. Jennings? Yes, it probably is. On the bright side, her loss could result in another giant step forward for election reform." I have argued to the contrary on this point. But Matt's piece is well worth reading. UPDATE: Bob Bauer, whose firm is one of the firms representing the Democrat in this matter, responds.